“Jack and Jill went up the hill
To fetch a pail of water.
Jack fell down and broke his crown,
And Jill came tumbling after.”

This is a cliche limerick, everyone knows it. But what information is missing here?

Well, for starters, what did Jack need the water for? Also, when Jill came “tumbling after”, was she hurt too? And why DID Jack fall down anyway?

Missing information never attracts our attention, and that can be a problem. ie, we don’t “see” it as missing until someone points it out to us – and sometimes that information is key in solving a problem. All too often, people zoom by and rush to the regular, standard conclusion before they actually stop and think about the problem first. Intelligent people are especially prone to this phenomonenon. They are “quick thinkers” and pride themselves on finishing first, it’s the source of their ego and pride. So one of the key things needed for good thinking, ironically, is to become a slower thinker and actually SLOW DOWN the thinking process.

The mark of a good thinker is someone who stops and thinks about things that no one else bothers to think about.

Share this:

Like this:

On friday I had to go for a walk because it was a particularly bad day at Model Printing. Anyway, I ran into a customer of mine, who was actually the writer/director of a film that was about to premiere at Laemmle. So I decided to forego my plans to go watch the movie. . . and I absolutely LOVED it. It’s a movie called “Losing Control” and the trailer is here:

The premise is intiguing. A woman gets a marriage proposal from her dashing boyfriend, but her best friend takes her aside and asks “how do you know if you’re marrying Mr Right if you’ve never been with Mr Wrong?”. So with that point in mind, the girl decides to go on a series of blind dates with men who all have something different to offer. But the movie is told from a scientist’s point-of-view. so her mode of thinking becomes dangerously logical which leads her into trouble (but in a funny way).

The writing is clever, the scenes unpredictable (in a good way), and I found myself laughing out loud during many of the scenes. It was a refreshing break from the traditional hollywood fare that I’ve grown so accustomed to seeing. It’s being shown in the Laemmmle next to my workplace in North Hollywood. I believe this movie beat even Hunger Games and the Three Stooges in ticket sales in that theatre last weekend.